The present invention relates to a braking device particularly usable for skates which comprise an item of footgear composed of a quarter articulated to a shall which is in turn associated with a supporting frame for one or more wheels.
Currently, in known roller skates, whether constituted by an item of footgear associated with a support for two pairs of mutually parallel wheels or by an item of footgear associated with a supporting frame for one or more aligned wheels, the problem is felt of braking said wheels in order to adjust the speed of said skate.
It is thus known to use adapted blocks or pads, usually made of rubber, which are arranged at the toe or heel regions of the item of footgear; when the user tilts the item of footgear forwards or backwards, the free end of the pads or blocks interacts with the ground and braking is thus achieved.
However, these solutions are not optimum, since they require the user to rotate the item of footgear, and therefore the frame associated therewith, at the toe or heel, and this can be the cause of losses of balance with consequent falls.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,402,010 is also known; it discloses a roller skate provided with a band which can be secured on the user's leg above the malleolar region and to which a rod is connected.
Said rod wraps around the leg to the rear and is then curved so as to laterally affect the leg until it is associated, at its ends, in the malleolar region, with a lever system which is articulated to a flap protruding from the wheel supporting frame.
Said lever system protrudes to the rear of the frame and is connected to a plate which is shaped approximately complementarily to the curvature of part of an underlying and facing wheel.
This solution is not free from drawbacks: first of all, a relative movement occurs between the band and the leg throughout sports practice, and this does not make its use comfortable.
Furthermore, the plate is activated every time the user bends his leg backwards beyond a given angle, without actual and easy possibilities of varying this condition.
Furthermore, each user has a specific leg shape, and braking is thus obtained at different rotation angles for equal lengths of the rod.
Furthermore, said rod rests and presses on the malleolar region, and this can cause discomfort or accidental impacts.
Finally, considerable wear of the wheel is observed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,275,895 is known as a partial solution to this drawback; it discloses a brake for skates with two pairs of mutually parallel wheels, which acts at the rear wheels.
Said brake is constituted by a flap associated with the item of footgear in a rearward position; a blade is associated with said flap in a rearward position and is pivoted at the supporting frame for the item of footgear.
Said blade has, at its free end, a transverse element on which a pair of C-shaped elements is formed at the lateral ends; said elements interact, following a backward rotation imparted to the flap, with the rear wheels which face them, so as to interact with the rolling surface of said wheels.
However, even this solution has drawbacks: it is in fact structurally complicated and thus difficult to industrialize; it furthermore entails the presence of adapted springs suitable to allow the flap to return to the position in which the pair of C-shaped elements does not interact with the wheels, and this further increases structural complexity.
Furthermore, the structural configuration of the brake causes the pair of C-shaped elements to interact with the wheel even upon a minimal backward rotation imparted to the flap and thus even due to involuntary movements, and this produces unwanted braking actions and therefore possible situations of loss of balance or lack of coordination.
Finally, interaction of the C-shaped element at the rolling surface of the wheels leads to rapid wear of said wheels and thus to non-optimum rolling, which necessarily entails continuous wheel replacement.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,300,781 is also known; it relates to a braking device for skates which comprise pairs of mutually parallel wheels.
It furthermore comprises a brake constituted by a blade pivoted transversely at the rear end of the supporting frame for an item of footgear; pads facing the rolling surface of the pair of rear wheels are associated with the ends of said blade.
The brake is activated by using a cable suitable to impart a rotation to the blade in contrast with a spring associated with the support for the pair of front wheels, so as to move the pads into contact with the rolling surface of the pair of rear wheels.
The cable can be activated by means of rings or handles associated with a band which can be arranged on the legs of the user by virtue of the presence of temporary connection means.
However, this solution has considerable drawbacks; first of all, activation of the brake can lead to possible losses of coordination during sports practice, since the user has to perform an uncoordinated movement.
Furthermore, during the traction applied to the rings the band may disengage from the legs, thus thwarting the braking action.
In any case, there is a loose cable which can accidentally catch during racing, especially since coordination of the arm-legs movement causes the legs to be located rhythmically laterally toward the outside.